We recently just hired a new mother’s helper and I couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend hiring help for all women entrepreneurs who work at home. I’ve tried to work early mornings and late at night and I’m not only unproductive, but I get burnt out and sick. When I have this support I know that 10 hours a week I’ll have time to concentrate and focus on work.
Our Mother’s Helpers assists with our little ones, plus she helps us keep up on dishes, laundry, cleaning, cooking, and whatever else we need. We’ve had success hiring three different girls over the years and each girl has become a good friend and a “big sister to our kids.”
Here’s 10 Tips for Hiring a Mother’s Helper:
- Figure out what hours you need help. I’ve had help in the afternoons and in the mornings and for me, the mornings is better…
- Ask your friends and family if they know any responsible college-aged students who could help you out. (In the summer you might be able to get a high school student.)
- If you don’t find a referral from a family or friend, put an ad in the paper at the local college. We advertise at BYU since its close by and the students there have high standards and morals, so we’ve always been able to hire someone we could trust here.
- When you place the ad be flexible about the hours if you can, it’s better to just say “mornings” because then they can come at a block of time that suits them. Be clear in the ad that you would like them to do cleaning and child care, or whatever you need so there’s no surprises when you ask them to clean your toilet. I also list the ages of my kids and that I am seeking someone who enjoys kids, preference to education majors. I also list the pay; we pay $8/hr.
- I have them send me their resumes via email and then I contact them and invite them for an interview and part of the interview process is to have them interact with my kids so I ask them to bring a game idea or activity.
- Once I decide who I want to hire I confirm with them their schedule and commitment and ask for references. I always call at least 2 references so I can get to know the candidate better and what their previous work habits were and if they were trustworthy.
- On the first day of work I make sure they know my kids’ routines and I write out a schedule and their responsibilities.
- As each payday comes around I ask them how things are going and see how they are feeling about the position (I want to keep them happy) and then I mention things that are working well and any areas that may need improvement.
- We try to be flexible with their commiment around mid-terms and finals or other significant projects. I request that they call ahead when there is a conflict, etc. at least the night before.
- We make it fun and show gratitude–we try to have activites available for them to do with our kids and invite them to participate in family meals if they are here during that time so they feel included.
Today’s Magic Wand: Hire some help! If you have children, you might consider hiring a “mother’s helper” to assist you. You’ll love it and so will your kids! Your business will benefit too.
This was a perfect post. My husband got a new job and won’t be able to help me out like he use to, so I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. Thanks for the great advice and where to start looking.
You’re the Best!!
You’re welcome, Start Up Princess, Steph!
Too bad you don’t live closer or I’d give you some names of girls I couldn’t hire. Best of luck!
I work up to 20 hours a week for my non-profit but my husband is not interested in carrying more of the load, i.e. helping with dinner, dishes, and the mess in general. I told him if he couldn’t help out more, I’d have to hire someone to help me clean. Trying to be Executive Director of a non-profit with a 5th child on the way meant that there just weren’t any other possibilities. He complied and so I hired someone to come clean my two bathrooms (each has a shower or tub) and my kitchen every other week for two hours. Her initial price was $15/hr. but I negotiated with her to get it down to $25 for two hours. An added benefit is that I trust her and so I can put my 2 year old down for a nap and run errands during that time if I need to. Doing this has been worth every dollar! Usually I choose to clean along side her or in another area of the house and so it becomes a day when the whole house gets cleaned up and I finally get ahead. It has been WONDERFUL to have clean bathrooms and a clean kitchen (althought, as you know, the kitchen gets messed up by the next meal, LOL). It frees up some time, looks great, and emotionally uplifts me (you women know what I mean!). If your budget permits, find a way to give this gift to yourself. If your budget doesn’t permit, find some other expense you can eliminate and replace it with this. You deserve it!